What are the priorities and things that matter most for parents in 2020?
What are parents’ top priorities when choosing a school for their children? A new national study has pinpointed the most important factors.
SA News
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Choosing where to send your children to school is a big decision – it sets the foundations for the rest of their lives, after all.
So what are the priorities and things that matter most for parents in 2020?
Student wellbeing tops the list for most mums and dads, according to a national representative study of parents of primary and secondary school-aged children.
Parents are also looking for wide-ranging extra-curricular opportunities and individualised support for their child.
As well, they want their children well prepared for an increasingly automated and changing work environment.
“Wellbeing really came out as the No. 1 issue and expectation that parents have and also the one that has really increased over time,” said Ashley Fell, co-author of McCrindle Research’s Future of Education report.
“As the prevalence of mental health continues to rise, this idea of wellbeing for children and getting it right when they’re young so they can carry these sentiments through life – be resilient and adaptable to challenges they face in and out of their working life – is an emerging trend.
“The challenge for schools is that almost a quarter of parents (24 per cent) believe schools should provide extensive individualised support for all wellbeing issues.”
Ms Fell, a social researcher, pictured, said that in the past five years 48 per cent of parents had increased their expectations of their child’s school to support wellbeing.
“This indicates a significant shift for the education sector. Gen Y parents are driving this expectation inflation, with three in 10 (31 per cent) increasing their expectations of schools compared to one in four Gen X parents (23 per cent),” she said.
McCrindle surveyed more than 1000 parents across all states and demographics, held focus groups with teachers and interviewed principals for the report.
In October, NAB released its Education Special Insight report showing 87 per cent of independent schools now offer either formal or informal wellbeing programs. Still, students surveyed in that study said they would like to see“moresupport, help and encouragement” and “personalised or individual one-on-one learning”.
There is an increasing focus, too, on equipping children with “life” skills.
“We’ve seen a real shift beyond academic performance to the competencies we refer to as the 21st century skills for lifelong learning,” Ms Fell said. “As the world of work changes, it is the character qualities of creativity, curiosity, adaptability and initiative that help to future proof the students of today.
“Parents also want their children equipped with digital and critical thinking skills.”
Nurturing “leadership” in young people is an area two in five parents would now like to see schools place a greater focus on. Reflective of an era of instant gratification, the expectations parents have around how and when teachers report on their child’s progress is also changing, with 60 per cent expecting weekly communication and one in 14 (7n per cent) wanting daily reports.
“We’re seeing a generation of Millennials and Gen Y parents who’ve grown up in the digital era and expect services to be accessible and instant because that’s how service delivery is these days, in terms of banking and shopping,” Ms Fell said.
In 2020, the SA Education Department will roll out a digital platform that lets families access a dedicated and secure parent portal 24/7.
“Parents will be able to log on at any time and from any device to see information relevant to their child,” acting chief information officer John Dunnery said.
“It will modernise, streamline and simplify parent communication for all public schools and preschools.”
In addition to information on their child’s progress – grades as well as emotional and social – parents are wanting to learn about opportunities for their children and the school’s values, vision and strategic direction.
The pressure of parents’ rising expectations and desire for information is being felt by teachers, the study shows.
“We found in the research we did with the teachers, the expectation of what they are teaching is rising beyond academics, to include emotional and social skills, and this high expectation does cause them stress,” Ms Fell said.